Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-06-25
A BRITISH MAN.O'.WAR.
Description of The New Cruiser Immo--
taltte
LONDON Standard.


talite
LONDON Standard.
The fine oelted fast cruiser Immortalite
was foated out of the dock in which she
had been built at Chstham yesterday soon
after O'Clock The day was very fine
and although unlocking is, as an opera
ton, not by any means comparable with
the excitement and dash Of q launch,
many hundreds Of spectators gathered in
the great naval dockyard TO witness the
event. The ceremony Of christening was
performed by Mrs. Graham, the wife OF
Admiral Graham, the Controller Of the
Navy, and was neatly accomplished
exactly at the time of the first pulls Of the
two steam tugs, whose duty it was to
haul the vessel out into the Midway The
trim OF the hull to the eye WAS everything
that could be desired. and il seemed to
float perfectly erect and very bGoyautIy.
Indeed, the light draft was cause CT th5
vessel Slowing little in ner progress,
and fOuling her anchor with Ole Of the
timber uprighls Of the dock shed, and
pulling off few large splinters. Once
fairly out in the broad estuary the two
deck ward steamers made short WORK Of
towing her down stream to the Chatham
extension docks, and berthing her in the
/ dock of No. 3 basin, into which she will
be taken TO-DAY for fitting out for service.
As type of WAr-Ship the Immortalite
! has g handsome torn, which compares
favorabIy with the more powerful but
ugly ironclsds, while the casseilated
aspect given by tie nun, rous embrasures
! for her ten six inch brOad5ide guns and the
! two large nine-inCh guns, mounted one at
the fore and the other az the after end OF
| the battery en- barb tie, give heI 8 proud
and veTY Wsrlike aspect. Her NOBLE
! dimensions-300 feet III length and fifty
seven feet in beam-and her lOftiless cut
OF water, 2dd much to Der stately appear
snce; and If the Earl Steamship Bull ding
/ Company of Hull, who ere intrus ed with
, the construction Of her engines, attain the
estimated speed Of eighteen knots, toe
vessel will be one Of the finest aud most
serviCeabIe of her important class
II will be 70 light undertaking to
drive q vessel CT 800 tons disp'ace-
ment Gt this speed, which will require O
| development CT $500 Indicated horse
power To accomplish. There are two
boiler rooms, which will contain four
boilers OF $50 tons weight each; and
there two engine rooms for driving the
two crew propeller5. The engines are
of triple expansion type, and the furnaces
will have forced draft appliances for use
when required. The hull is of steel, and
/ the armor belt9 along the water lire
| is 81 feet in depth and 10 inches in thick
ness, and steel faced. The officers &C
cOmmodStiCn is aft ana that of the 400
men who form her crew is forwaTd-mOre
than half the hull being tsken up by the
boilers and engine. Below the main
deck there is q protected deck covered by
! two inch plsting over the horizontal por-
ton and with three inch plating
over the sloping SIDES. In addition
to the guns we have mentioned, the
/ ImmortaiiJe will carry six six-pounder
and ten three-pounder quick firing guns
one one-inch two-barreled and six five
! bsrreIed Nordenfeit guns, and one nine
FOUNDER field gun. The hull is pierced
with four torpedo disoharglng tvbes, her
armament including twenty of those
formidable weapons. The cost Of the
| hull is stated st about 100000, snd the
! engines st ESQ, 900. Her coal carrying
capacity is for 800 tons. The vessel has
been built IL about fifteen months-the
expedition OF building being now greatly
| facilitated by ths absence of those
! incessant alterations in the details Of
! the design, which in former Gays sc
! largely added 10 the cost Of the navy.